Wheel-felly.



No. 858,015. PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

H. PATAUD.

WHEEL EELLY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. o. 1907. 2 SHEETS SHEET l.

M .l L L .l` l w/TA/Essas. /Nvl-:A/TOR, |QQW-QWMQ @+Mw CPM@ No. 858,015.PATENTED JUNE 25, .1907. H. PATAUD.

WHEEL PELLY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HENRI PATAUD, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

WHEEL-FELLY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .Tune 25, 1907.

Application filed March 5.1907. Serial No. 360,742.

To {LN/.wrmt it Duty concern,.-A

Be it known that I, HENRI PATAUD, a citizen of France, residing at 15Rue de la Fdration, Paris, France, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Wheel- Fellies, of which the following -is aspecification.

This invention has for its principal object an arrangement whichpermitsof providing at will two circular e ges or flanges combined with a flatfelly, or of removin these flanges, the said arrangement consistingessentially in a second felly of U-section with flanged edges, which isalways engaged by the spokes of the wheel, and which, being open andelastic, assumes a position concen` Fig. 3 is a section to a largerscale of the i wheel following the line A-A of Fig. 1.

4 is a`half-section to a larger scale of the felly, following the lineB-B of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are an elevation and a circular section rcsectively, showing an embodiment of the loc {ing joint and the second orprofiled felly.

The periphery of the wooden wheelgfelly a receives an iron hoop b,secured whenl-liot inthe usual manner. t,

On the outer face of the wheel the periphery of the wooden felly and theiron hoop are notched substantially midway across fozr permitting theentry of the members for mpunting an ordinary pneumatic tireon an,ordinary rim, that is to say, the inflation valve and the stems of thesecuring bolts, which members project into the interior of the ordinaryfelly.

On the hoop are fixed, at intervals between the notches, small plates cof metal a few millimeters in thickness, whose outer surface isconcentric with the hoop.

Before securing the eriphery of the wooden felly a, to the spo es d,there is engaged on the free ends ofthe latter an open steel ri "f, ofU-scction; the cylindrical surface oflthe U has perforations at, whichare as .wide as the thickness of the spokes, but

Fig.

they may which are elongated in circumferential directions.

The circumference of the proled ring, or second rim f, is smaller thanthe circumference of the wooden felly, so that to lit this ring f to thespokesit is sufficient to separate its two extremities so that'it formsa circle at least equal to that described through the free extremitiesof the spokes. If in this position the perforations are made to registerwith the ends of the spokes, and the second rim is now let go it.contracts, being penetrated by the spokes. There is then secured the rimof thev wooden felly which is fastened while the steel is hot. Theproled ring f being open and its circumference being smaller than thatof the wooden felly it will be understood that if the two ends areseparated it increases in diametei` until the outer surface of itscylindrical part iits against the inner surface of the periphery of thewooden felly.

c If in'these conditions the tension se arat'ing these two ends issufficient this pro ed i'ing will bear on all the peripher of the woodenfelly in the interior thereo and will form with it a rigid whole orunit. This increase of the diameter of the profiled ring may be obtainedby any means whatever. -In the example shown inthe drawing it isobtained instantaneously and automatically by the following meansz-Imagine the roiiled ring fitting the entire inner surface o the woodenfelly, and suppose that its length be such that its twoy extremities areseparatedby a distance of 100- millimeters for exam le, measured alongthe. circumference an situated midway between two s okes. Take twoelements or pieces, g and of the same profile with a length of 50millimeters each and attached one to the otherby a rigid member fi,while the other two ends are of such form that b e jointed to the twoends of the profiled ring. v Y l If one supposes the ring to bedistended 1 and the articulated elements to be placed at its two ends itwillbe seen that on exercising pressure on the joint of the twoelements, directed'r toward the circumference of the wheel, the angleformed by the two elements increases at-the same time as the twoextremities of the ring are separated. During this time the effort whichit is necessary to exer't increases and 'will be at the maximum at themoment when the three junctions are in alinement, and since the Ydeadcenter will IOO IIO

be passed the tendency of the profiled ring to close itself acts to lockthe Whole (profiled ringf and elements g and h) against the innercircumference of the wooden felly. In these conditions it willbeunderstood that the sole means of loosening this connection is bydrectly exercising on the junction of these two elements an effortdirected toward the center suiiicient to pass the dead center. As soonas the dead center is assed the proled ring immediately resumes itsnatural circum` ference: but on the contrary any circumferential effortexerted on the profiled Will not tend to lock the whole system. Caremust be taken in fitting the profiled ring to the spokes that the notchprovided for the valve n the wooden felly is midway between twoextremities of the profiled ring. The result is that during the increaseor decrease of the diameterV of the profiled ring the circumferentialdisplacements between the wooden telly and the profiled are at themaximum at the position of the notch for the valve, and are zero at theother end ofthe diameter passing through the notch for the valve.Consequently the perforations :i: for

the play of the profiled ring on the spokes will be the most elongatedfor the two spokes situated on both` sides of the notch for the valve,and onhtlie contrary will be almost round ltor themtwo opposite spokes.The ovalization of the perforations for the intermediate spokes iscalculated from the two end evalizations.

The form of theproled ring f is such that when its cylindrical surfacebears exactly on the inner surface of the wooden telly, its two cheeksor flanges' and the connection with the cylindrical surface exactlyfitting the shape of the wooden felly; tlie latter is thus not onlycontacted internally by the cylindrical surface of the profiled ring,but is en.

tirely sunk in the said ring (see Fig. 3)', which makes it rigid andthus restores to it the solidity lost by the notches formed in itsbreadth. As the two connected elements (g and h) are only pieces of thesame profiled member conveniently arranged for the play of thejoint, itresults that. when the Whole of the profiled ring and the elements arein locking position the Whole of the Wooden telly is fitted in theU-ring, which does not present in appearance any breach of continuity.

The cheeks or flanges of the U-shaped ring are higher by severalmillimeters than the thickness of the wooden felly together with that ofthe hoop-and the circumference'` of the profiled ring, and also the sizeof the perforations in its cylindrical surface are such that 'when theprofiled ring is left free to assume a ain its small diameter, thecircumference ogthe end of the cheeks becomes smaller than the outercircumference of the hoop, clearing not only the Whole circumference ofthe hoop, but also by a sufficient amount the notches provided for theastening bolts; further, 1n this position, the two jointed elements,either when they have been completely removed as in Fig. 4, or when theyform a V whose p oint is toward the center of the wheel entirely clearthe notch provided for the valve.

If now it is imagined that in the interior of an ordinary telly j therehave been fixed some small metal plates ic, concentric with the fellyand of a height equal to the small lates c attached to the hoop of thewooden elly, the device being combined so that the Ordinary eily mny'beentered with easy friction in the hoop of the woodenwheel, two plates ofthe ordinary felly coming on both sides of one plate of the hoop,taking'care to present the valve and the bolt stems in front of theirrespective castings; if the pneumatic tire is mounted on the felly itwill suffice to constitute a whole for locking the profiled against thewooden telly. ln this position7 indeed, the fianges of the profiled arepresented on both sides of the 1nclined faces of the ordinary telly;they meet likewise before the profiled ring is entirely at the lockingposition, so that it is necessary Ain order that this locking positionmay be attained that it produce a slight elastic deformation of theordinary felly and of the cheeks of the proiiled ring which insures thedesired solidity for the 'whole arrangement. The ordinary folly may infact take its support partly directly from the `'wheel by resting on thehoop, partly from the U-shaped ring by pressing on the cheeks, theU-shaped ring being entirely solid with the wooden telly, since itscylindrical part, as has been said, bears over all its circumference onthe inner face of the wooden feliy.

Il the wheel is supposed to be mounted on a carriage and the carriage isin move-ment. the reactions sustained by the. felly are multiplied, butare always of two types: vertical reactions and horizontal reactions;and both kinds produce on the profiled ring a circumfereiitial efiorttending to diminish the diameter, which has as a result-thanks to thearticulated arrangement employedthe accentuation of the locking effectagainst the Wooden elly. The articulated arrangement may be designed inAseveral ways, notably' with or Without an axis. The articulation with anaxis has this advantage, that in the unlocked position both the elementsare suspended at the ends of the proled ring, taking the forni of a V,but, on tlie other hand,

the locking efforts and the reaction of the road Wiil be carried onthese axes. The annexed drawing shows an articulated whole Without anaxis, which comes completely out of the unlocking position and offersabsolute security.

The work of removing the ordinary felly with its pneumatic tire, and itsreplacement by another like ordinary elly provided with ITO ixed to theend of the lever, acting as a gripper; the felly is withdrawn, replacedby another, and again given a blow from the lever,

' under the two elements of which the two rounded heads of the two headshave been engaged in the sockets at the ends of the roiled ring. For thesake of safety, the ottoms of the two articulated elements, whichalready form by their juxtaposition end to end a hole o for the passageoi the valve, are each pierced with a hole'of small diameter, which isplaced in the position of locking opposite a pin p (see Fig. 1). xed inthe wooden felly, and whose length, which projects beyond the ielly, issuiiicient to enable to be placed below the articulated elements, eithera nut q or a thumb-screw.

The wheel provided with the arrangement of dismountable felly, which hasbeen described,has the appearance of an ordinary wheel with a fixedfelly. lAs further advantages itis expedient to point out theconsolidation of the wooden felly which permits of notching it withoutdanger ofsplitting. The felly, provided with its pneumatic tire, isfixed on the whole circumferencerand its removal as also its replacementare instantaneous.

Instead of employin r a symmetrically proiiled U-sha ed rin wiose'twocheeks hold the felly w ien in t e locking position, there may beemployed an asymmetrical U- shaped profiled ring, whose cheek at theouter side of the carriage will resemble the cheeks of the symmetricallyprofiled ring, but whose v inner cheek will not be so high and will stopfor exam le in the locking position, on a level with the liioop of thewooden felly, and, which instead of being constituted simply by a atiron ring, will have on the interior on all -its circumference .aninclined edge, against which the high cheek of the rofiled ring willpress thc felly when in its lociking position.

The arrangement of the profiled ring with edges as above described maybe also empliyed-for the mounting of solid rubber tires.

eed, given a solid tire armored in its interior or its circumference inany manner whatever, with a view to reater rigidity and less Weakness,the exten-siile profiled ring permits of immediately Icrming twocircumferential edges or Han es on the whole circumference ol the flatfel y, on which the tire has been mounted. The form of the cheeks willfurther permit of giving to the rubber a certain locking engagement onthe same when-they occupy their higher position when the profiled ringis locked on the wooden felly; hkewise in unlocking the proliled ringthe circular ianges disappear, and the easy removal of the tire can beeli'ected.

It is understood that the device is applicable to all tires, those whichare composed of elastic materials, homogeneous or heterogenous, or alsoby any mechanical devicesl whatever. It is equally applicable, as hasbeen said, to the formation of fellies for detachable pneumatic tires,constituted by a hat felly on which there is mounted the airtube in itscover.

The two cheeks of the proiiled ring sha ed in the form of a hook as inan ordinary fe ly, are presented in liront of the beads of the cover; orthe flat felly will receive two ordinary half-fellies, both removable,or one of the two fitted hot, which the cheeks of the U-shaped ringmaintain in locking position.

This application wouldpermit in particular of providing bicycles andmotor cycles with removable fellies, which is impossible with the usualsystems of removable rims, which always comprise a metallic ring whichmust be removed, and which cannot be taken out of the bicycle fork 3with the system described, on the contrary, the flanges are loweredwithout comin away.

Finally, it will be observed that the manipulating lever may carry twosmall articulated cranks intended` to force the rofiled ring to pressagainst the felly. In t 's case there is placed between the two ends ofthe profiled ring, at the locking position, a se ment of like profile,which would be exact y of the length necessary for closing the circle.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Lotters Patent is:

1. A device for removable fellies com rising in combination an ordinaryWooden elly a with an iron hoop b, an ordinary tire ellyj adapted to beinserted sidewise over the wooden felly, metal plates c provided on thehoop b of the wooden felly, metal plates k lprovided on the tire fellyy, registerin with the plates c of the wooden felly and a apted torevent circumferential movement of one fel y with relation to the other,an open elastic steel ring of U-section g embracing the wooden felly andengaged y the spokes of the wheel, the circumference of said rin beingsmaller than that of the wooden fel y, and operative means adapted toexpand the elastic steel-ring f so as to lock and maintain the tirefelly .in place, substantially as described andfor the purpose setforth.

2. A device for removable fellies com I'ising in combination an ordinarywooden fiilly, a with an iron hoop b, an ordinary tire ellyy' adapted tobe inserted sidewise over the wooden felly, metal plates c provided onthe hoop l) of the Wooden felly, metal plates 7c l provided on the tiretelly j, registerinor With l the plates c of the wooden felly andadapted to preventcircumferential movement of one telly with relation tothe other, an Open slastic steel ring of U-section embracing the woodenfelly and engaged y the spokes of the wheel, the circumference of saidring f being smaller than that of the Wooden felly, and two pieces g andh of the same profile as the iingj, attached one to the other by One oftheir ends by means of a rigid member i and jointed by their othersuitably shaped ends respectively to the tree ends of the open elasticring j, substantially as described and for I5 the purpose set forth.

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HENRI PATAUD.

Witnesses:

ANTOINE LARvIN, HERNANDO DE SOTO.

